Shoutout to that old electrician who told me to stop using wagos on 12-gauge

Had a master electrician named Hank tell me last fall that wagos on 12-gauge wire in residential panels were asking for trouble. I ignored him because they're so much faster than twist-ons. Two months later I got called back to a house in Lethbridge where three connections had loosened up. Has anyone else had these fail on heavier wire or was it just my bad luck?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenniferwells1mo ago

Had a buddy who did commercial work out in Calgary, he swore by wagos until he found three melted connections on a 12-gauge lighting circuit in a warehouse. Said he switched back to twist-ons for anything thicker than 14-gauge after that mess.

betht321mo ago

Wonder if that was just a bad batch or maybe they weren't fully seated right? I've used wagos on 12-gauge plenty and never had an issue personally.